Roasted Asparagus Tapenade

Tapenade is a spread from the south of France made with finely chopped olives and garlic. Here, roasted asparagus replaces the olives for a lighter, lower-sodium version that tastes of spring. This is a great recipe to make when you want to use up a bunch of asparagus that’s been sitting in the fridge a little too long.

1Servings

Ingredients

1 medium head garlic

2 Tbs. plus 1 tsp. olive oil, divided

1 lb. asparagus, trimmed

1/4 cup pine nuts

1 lemon, zested and juiced

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Peel excess papery skin from garlic head. Slice top off so that tips of cloves appear, and place on 6-inch square of foil. Drizzle with 1 tsp. oil and sprinkle with salt. Wrap foil around garlic head, and bake 45 minutes, or until softened and golden. Cool 5 minutes, then squeeze garlic out of cloves.

Toss asparagus with remaining 2 Tbs. oil in bowl, and season with salt. Spread on prepared baking sheet, and roast 20 minutes, or until tender; shake baking sheet occasionally to brown evenly. Cool and chop into 1-inch pieces.

Place half of asparagus in food processor with garlic, pine nuts, and 1 Tbs. lemon juice. Process until smooth. Transfer to bowl, and stir in 1/2 tsp. lemon zest and remaining asparagus. Season with salt and pepper.